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Junior Friends, 1972. Ed Sanders, Francis Dart, 1972.

Friends Bulletin

PACIFIC, NORTH PACIFIC, AND INTERMOUNTAIN YEARLY MEETINGS
OF THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS

Volume 60, Number 9 June 1992

Francis Dart, 1972. Sara, Gen/, and Ellen Hubbe,

Mary Papadopoulos, 1972.

PAGE 138 — JUNE 1992

FRIENDS BULLETIN

Editorial

Faith in Action

Sometimes an issue of the magazine just "falls together" with
other articles following the focus of the lead article. Then the
magazine seems to have a cohesiveness; it is something greater
than its individual parts.

At other times Friends write of such varied interests and
concerns that the single-subject cohesiveness doesn't happen. But
the togetherness is there in another way. It is Friends, individually
and corporately, searching for the truth and then acting on those
concerns arising from their search.

This issue begins with recollections from the beginnings of
North Pacific Yearly Meeting. What a vital, exciting, wonderful
group of people they must have been (and still are)!

We, the Yamalls, arrived on the scene somewhat late, attend-
ing the second NPYM annual session at Fort Worden in 1974. It
was my first Yearly Meeting ever, and I can still remember how
stimulating it was. And it was fun too. We met Friends there that
have become almost family, especially several families from
Eastside Meeting and the Benson-DoUahites from Pullman. Then,
as now, my observation was that at Yearly Meeting you get to
know members of other Monthly Meetings, but somehow, a
special part of it is relating to members of your own Meeting in a
new way. How lucky we have been to have two wonderful
Meetings to get to know, Eastside and Corvallis.

At our Yearly Meetings and in our communities. Friends have
many concerns. Several of them are reflected in this issue.

Arline Hobson shares her anguish at the perfunctory attitude
of members of the Arizona State Board of Pardons and Paroles
toward the death penalty.

Bob Vogel wonders if Friends should refuse all oaths and
offers two possible remedies when asked to sign an oath.

Anne St. Germain and Jean Roberts traveled to Cuba with the
Pax World Foundation. They foimd that Cuba is no threat to the
United States.

This issue talks about the things we do; the concerns that many
of us have as Friends. But it is our faith that keeps us going — our
faith that is the undergirding of what we do. "For Friends, faith
and practice are inseparable. Friends seek to apply this ideal to
their personal lives and their lives to the wider world." ^

"We are reminded by Christ's life on earth that faith and
practice are one. We refrain from fixing our faith in a formal set of
words because we feel that experience and knowledge of the
divine lies beyond words; it must be lived and demonstrated
throughout the whole of life."^

Friends don't talk about our faith as much as we try to live it.
As Bette Midler sings it, our Faith is "The Wind Beneath our
Wings, Nancy Yamall

’ North Pacific Yearly Meeting, Faith and Practice, p. 25.

^ Pacific Yearly Meeting, Faith and Practice, 1985, p. 5.

^ Bette Midler, Beaches, Atlantic Recording Corp., 1988.

Lenten Desert Experience

by Scott Johnsoiv PYM Peace Committee

Nearly seventy Friends and like-minded people gath-
ered together March 27-29 for the Friends Weekend of
the Lenten Desert Experience, one day after the first
nuclear bomb of 1992 was detonated on land belonging
to the Western Shoshone Nation.

We learned from Pauline Esteves of the Western
Shoshone Nation that the US military invaded ancestral
and sacred Western Shoshone territory in 1953, in viola-
tion of the Treaty of Ruby Valley, for the purpose of
establishing the nuclear bomb testing facility in the desert
outside of Las Vegas. Testing by US and other nuclear
powers has been and continues to be conducted solely on
lands of native peoples throughout the world.

That weekend we sought healing — for the earth and
for ourselves. Healing is needed to bring to an end
nuclear testing on native lands, just as healing is required
to bring to an end the 500 years of injustice to Native
American peoples. That weekend we were called to
discern the pain and suffering that nuclear testing inflicts
on all of creation. (For further information about the work
and struggle of the Western Shoshone to stop nuclear
testing, contact Western Shoshone National Council, PO
Box 140115, Duckwater, NV 89314.) ■

YEARLY MEETING OFFICERS
PACIFIC

Presiding Clerk: Jane Peers (619) 753-6146

808 Melba Rd
Encinitas, CA 92024

Assistant Clerk: Jane Mills (707) 539-6517

7899 St Helena Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95404

Treasurers: Virginia and Walter Klein

4509 Pavlov Ave (619) 457-4489

San Diego, CA 92122
NORTH PACIFIC

Presiding Clerk: John Sullivan (206) 463-3017
19401 - 131st Ave SW
Vashon, WA 98070

Steering Corrunittee Clerk:

Henry Van Dyke (503) 753-6391

3300 NW Van Buren Ave
Corvallis, OR 97330

Treasurer: Charles Kimball (503) 997-4237

04862 Oceana Dr
Florence, OR 97439

INTERMOUNTAIN

Presiding Clerk: Martin Cobin (303) 442-5047

1720 Linden Ave, Boulder, CO 80304

Continuing Committee Clerk:

Randy Herrick-Stare (303) 777-2105
501 E First Ave, Denver, CO 80203

Treasurer: Jim Hoffman (303) 989-6454

9300 W Tennessee Ave
Lakewood, CO 80226

FRIENDS BULLETIN

JUNE 1992 - PAGE 139

Friends Bulletin

The official organ of Pacific, North Pacific, and Intermountain
Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends.

1620 NW Menlo Drive, Corvallis, OR 97330-2055
Telephone: (503) 757-7143
Editor, Nancy Yarnali

Book Review Editor

Grace Buzaljko, 612 Albemarle, El Cerrito, CA 94530
Telephone: (510) 527-8558
IMYM Corresponding Editors
Jim Ray, 2520 S Ivanhoe PI, Denver, CO 80222
Melody Inchmuk, 1740 Gilmer Heights, Prescott, AZ 86301
Marie Godfrey, 523 Valley View Dr, Richfield, UT 84701
Phyllis Hoge, 213 Dartmouth Dr SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106
NPYM Corresponding Editor
Madeleine Cadbury Brown, 1412 Farrell Ln, Richland, WA 99352
PYM Corresponding Editors
Betsy Kahn, 4636 Morro Dr, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Patty Silva, 16557 S Highland Ave, Selma, CA 93662

Friends Bulletin Committee
Clerk: Sonda Beal, 814 Stannage Ave, Albany, CA 94706
Telephone: (510) 524-2518
Grace Buzaljko, 612 Albermarle, El Cerrito, CA 94530
Gerry Maynard, 2941 Northwood Dr, Alameda, CA 94501
Alan Strain, 127 Rathbum Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Lowell Tozer, 14842 Penasquitos Ct, San Diego, CA 92129
Rob Roy Woodman, 2532 Westemessee Rd, Davis, CA 95616

All correspondence, editorial and subscription, should be directed to the
Corvallis address. Deadline for copy is the first of the nwnth preceding the
month of issue.

North Pacific Yearly Meeting registrations must
be postmarked by July 1, 1992.

Printed by Corvallis Web Press, Corvallis, OR

• FRIENDS BULLETIN (USPS 859-220) is published monthly except
February and August by Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious
Society of Friends at 1620 NW Menlo Drive, Corvallis, Oregon
97330-2055. Telephone (503) 757-7143. Second-class postage
paid at Corvallis, Oregon.

• Subscription Rates: $20.00 per year for individuals, $1 6.00 per year
for group subscriptions through Meetings. $14.00 per year for a
student/low Income subscription. First class postage $5.20 addi-
tional. Foreign postage varies. Individual copies $ 2.00 each.

• Postmaster: Send address changes to FRIENDS
BULLETIN, 1620 NW Menlo Drive, Corvallis, OR
97330-2055.

Table Of Contents

Lenten Desert Experience by Scott Johnson 138

North Pacific Yearly Meeting at Twenty

by Monette Thatcher and Lois Barton 140

Pacific Yearly Meeting Epistle (1972) 141

The Time Has Come by Alice Dart (1972) 141

NPYM Schedule — July 23-26, 1992 142

CPS Mentors by Patrick K. Michaels 143

CPS Experiences by Mildred and Clarence Burck —143
Witnessing against the Death Penalty

by Arline Hobson — 144

The Death Penalty

by the Arizona Area Committee, AFSC — 144

Should Friends Refuse All Oaths? by Bob Vogel — 145

Loyalty Oath Experience by Betsy Eberhardt 145

Cuba: No Threat to the United States

by Jean Roberts and Anne St. Germain 146

PYM Religious Education Committee: Report 147

On Hallowing One's Diminishments by John

Yungblut, review by Rob Roy Woodman 147

Arizona Women's Gathering by La Donna Wallen -148
College Park Quarterly Meeting News

by Patricia Silva -148

Memorial Minutes — 149

Announcements -——150

Advertisements — — ■ — 151

Vital Statistics 151

Colorado Regional News by Jim Ray 151

Sometimes God by Jeanne Lohmann 151

Call To North Pacific Yearly Meeting, 1992 — 152

Cover photos by Jackie Van Dyke, Corvallis Meeting.
Cover calligraphy by Becky Yamall, Corvallis Meeting.

Faith Carson, Mildred Joyce, Chuck James, 1973.
Photo by Marvin Gregory, University Meeting.

PAGE 140 — JUNE 1992

FRIENDS BULLETIN

North Pacific Yearly Meeting
At Twenty

by Monette Thatcher and Lois Barton,

Eugene Meeting

Twenty years ago, on July 14-17, 1972, the first official
gathering of unprogrammed Friends of the Pacific North-
west took place at St. Martin's College in Olympia, Washing-
ton. This event was preceded by several years of search for a
suitable resolution to the problems created by the growth of
Pacific Yearly Meeting (PYM).

The first step was to appoint a New Ways Committee to
explore possible solutions to attendant circumstances. Find-
ing a place to meet that would accommodate the numbers
was difficult. At PYM it was becoming impossible to hear
each other, even in Meeting for Worship, without resorting to
microphones. The New W ays Committee eventually reached
the conclusion that separation was the right answer.

Friends were reluctant to divide the Yearly Meeting. Fears
and misgivings expressed at the proposed change included
a real sense of loss (based on our sentimental attachment to
Pacific Yearly Meeting), a worry about the obligations and
pressures a new group would experience from preoccupa-
tion with business such as had become so dominant at PYM,
and the possibility that we might be creating a body with no
power to act when concerns arose.

An advisory committee to oversee the process of division
was appointed. Ed Morgenroth, Clerk of that committee,
suggested that Friends on the West Coast, like amoebas,
believe in multiplying by dividing.

A revision committee, consisting of representatives from
Willamette and Northwest Quarterly Meetings, drew up
plans for a gathering of Northwest Friends. A joint Quarterly

Etta Marie James, Francis Dart, 1973.
Photo hy V^ayne Joyce, Eastside Meeting.

Meeting was held in April 1971 in Seattle. The revision
committee, meeting April 15 and May 20, 1972, formulated
several minutes that were forwarded to the July Gathering,
proposing actions to be approved by Friends at the Gather-
ing. These included continued support of Friends Bulletin and
use of the PYM Discipline, formation of a steering committee,
plans for representation, and financial support from the
Monthly Meetings.

The Monthly Meetings had each examined the proposal
for establishing a Yearly Meeting in the Northwest and
forwarded their actions to the 1972 Gathering. Eugene,
Corvallis, Salem, Multnomah, and V ancouver Monthly Meet-
ings agreed to support formation of North Pacific Yearly
Meeting (NPYM).Their representatives carried their deci-
sions to the Gathering. Eastside and University reserved their
decisions imtil after the Gathering. Victoria Meeting chose to
withdraw and affiliate more closely with Canada Yearly
Meeting.

Junior Friends took a very active part in planning the
structure of the new Y early Meeting and sent representatives
to aU revision committee meetings. The two Quarterly Meet-
ings were rather far apart in their concepts of the new Yearly
Meeting. Working out their differences was a remarkable
spiritual experience, according to the memory of some par-
ticipants. For example, representatives from the Northwest
Quarter felt strongly that State of Society reports should be
part of the annual session, while Willamette Quarter repre-
sentatives thought such reports would be boring. The evolved
plan to give the reports out of the silence of a Meeting for
Worship represented an inspired, creative solution agreeable
to everyone.

Northwest Friends conceived of an organization rela-
tively free of detailed structure and with an emphasis on
spiritual enrichment and fellowship. Committees were to be
appointed only as needed and were to be laid down when
their work had been completed. The Gathering in 1972
included only one plenary session for business.

Twenty years later, NPYM standing committees include
Discipline Committee, Nominating Committee, Steering
Committee, Outreach Committee, and a Gay and Lesbian
Concerns Committee, in addition to the required organiza-
tion necessary for planning the annual session. We have
associated our Yearly Meeting with the AFSC, FCNL, and
FWCC, appointing representatives to each of these organiza-
tions and budgeting annual contributions. We also appoint
representatives to Friends for Gay and Lesbian Concerns.
These facts bear out Francis Dart's prediction that in five or
ten years we would find ourselves in just that state we then
considered over-organized.

In 1978 NPYM adopted its own book of Faith and Practice,
compiled to meet the circumstances and practices of Friends
in this area. This is an on-going process.

In the twenty years since 1972, our land base has ex-
panded to include Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The

FRIENDS BULLETIN

JUNE 1992 - PAGE 141

Montana Gathering o f Friends is potentially a new Quarterly
Meeting. Our directory now includes sixteen Monthly Meet-
ings and thirty- two Worship Groups, as opposed to the eight
Meetings in 1972. In recent years we have had four plenary
sessions for business at each annual session and have talked
of adding another day to the yearly gathering to make time
for all we wish to include.

Figures for the attendance at the 1972 Gathering are not
available. There were 266 at the 1974 annual session. Esti-
mated membership in 1973, including Vancouver, BC, which
withdrew that November, was 390. Attendance at the 1991
annual session in Dillon, Montana, was 396, and estimated
membership then was 670.

Considering the problem attendant on distance in the
Northwest and our increasing numbers, it seems reasonable
to anticipate further amoebic behavior in the years to come.
NPYM Friends have come of age as we have dealt with our
growth and a multiplicity of concerns in the twenty years of
our existence. We continue to culhvate and cherish a rich
spiritual fellowship with one another as part of the "growing
edge" of American Quakerism. ■

First Steering Committee Meeting at Multnomah Meeting, 1972.
Back row: Ken Holman, Salem; Eileen Mahan; Eloise Holden, Tacoma;
Howard Richards, Multnomah; Don Beach, University; Harold
Carson; Eastside. Seated: Frances Youatt, University; Alice Dart,
Eugene; Unknown; Joyce Todd; Paul Davis, Joy Davis, Corvallis.
Photo courtesy of Frances Youatt.

Pacific Yearly Meeting Epistle (1972)

...Our greatest joy, accompanied by the pains of parting,
has been to welcome the formation of North Pacific Yearly
Meeting out of Monthly Meetings in the Northwest, the
transfer of our Canadian Meetings into closer relation with
Canadian Yearly Meeting, and the continuing growth of the
Intermountain Friends Fellowship that includes our Meet-
ings in the Southwest. ...

On behalf of Pacific Yearly Meeting of Friends at St. Mary's
College, Moraga, Califomia, Edwin A. Sanders, Qerk. ■

(Excerpted from Friends Bulletin, September, 1972, p. 2)

The Time Has Come

by Alice Dart, NPYM Steering Committee (1972)

...Friends of the North Pacific Region therefore, coming to
Olympia, Washington, in the experiment of a new form of
annual gathering devoted as far as possible to worship and
fellowship, held a single session for business in which the
following minute was approved:

"This North Pacific Gathering of Friends forms the North
Pacific Yearly Meeting as of this date, July 17, 1972. The
individual Monthly Meetings are to establish their relation-
ship with North Pacific Yearly Meeting and with Pacific
Yearly Meeting as they feel so moved."

The support given to the Gathering by Edwin Sanders and
Gretchen Tuthill in coming to a decision was deeply felt. ...

As our Monthly Meetings proceed to inform you of their
intentions, we will be strengthened in the growth so joyfully
welcomed by Pacific Yearly Meeting on hearing the news of
our decision. Your loving response will be transmitted to our
Monthly Meetings. We join with you in hopes for maintain-
ing close ties, ...

We take with us cherished memories of the years together
that are past. We know we will suffer regrets that must arise
out of the inevitable separations; we hope to lessen these by
mutual intervisitation. Mixed with such emotions, we feel the
eagerness of our responses to leadings toward a new struc-
ture offer hopes for deeper and wider fellowship among us.
If, as Gretchen Tuthill said, our efforts are blessed, it is our
hope that a blessing may also be felt by Pacific Yearly Meet-
ing, to which we send our loving greeting....*

(Excerpts from a letter from North Pacific Yearly Meeting to Pacific
Yearly Meeting, Friends Bulletin, December, 1972, p.l)

Frances Youatt (Recording Clerk), University; Alice Dart (Clerk),
Eugene. NPYM Steering Committee, 1972.

Photo courtesy of Frances Youatt.

PAGE 142 — JUNE 1992

FRIENDS BULLETIN

North Pacific Yearly Meeting, July 23-26, 1992, Dillon, Montana.

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

6:00-7:00

Early Morning Worship

6:00-7:00

Early Morning Worship

6:00-7:00

Early Morning Worship

6:45-7:45

Breakfast

6:45-7:45

Breakfast

6:45-7:45

Breakfast

8:00-8:15

Singing for Adults

8:00-8:15

Singing for Adults

8:00-9:15 ^

Worship Groups

8:15-10:15
Plenary III ^

Friend in Residence
State of Society

8:15-10:15
Plenary V

NPYM Epistle, Concerns
Memorials

9:20-9:30 ^

Singing

12:00-8:00

Registration

10:30-11:45
Worship Groups

10:30-11:45 ^

Worship Groups

9:30-10:45 ^

Plenary VI
Final Epistle

1:00-5:00

Committee Meetings

12:00-1:15

Lunch

12:00-1:15

Lunch

11:00-12:00 ^
Closing Worship

1:30-4:00
Steering Comm.
M&O

1:30-3:00
Interest Groups

1:30-3:00 ^

Interest Groups

12:30-2:00

Limch

4:00-5:00
Orientation
First-Time Attenders
Worship Sharing Leaders

3:00-5:00
Free Time
Worship Groups
Friendly Carnival

3:00-5:00
Free Time
Worship Groups
Steering Comm.

5:00-6:30

Dinner

5:15-6:30

Dinner

5:15-6:30

Dirmer

6:30-7:15
Intro to

Children's Program

7:30-8:00
Plenary I

Roll Call,Introductions

7:15-7:30

Singing for Adults

7:00-8:30

Community Night

8:15-9:30 ^

Plenary II

Discipline, Concerns,
Steering Comm.

7:30-9:30
Plenary IV
FWCC, Concerns

^ = Child Care

FRIENDS BULLETIN

JUNE 1992 - PAGE 143

CPS Mentors

by Patrick K. Michaels, Redwood Forest
Meeting

I was very impressed with the stories of the lives of the
CPS workers of WWn as printed in the March Fnends Bulletin.
We have much to learn from those men who had the courage
to commit themselves to the ways of peaceful co-existence
that lead them to the CPS camps. Ironically, once in the
camps, the quest continued to find a peaceful resolution to
conflict. To continue to hear the details of these men's lives is
an intergenerational gift.

I know, because as a yoimg man during the American war
in Vietnam, I, too, asked myself, "What can I do?" "What are
my alternatives?" I was fortunate enough to find Friends
Meeting. Not only did I find individuals who had gone to jail
to maintain my right to be a conscientious objector; not only
did I find men who had served their country in alternative
service before me; but I also found a heritage — a breathing,
functioning, living heritage — of people of peace. I was no
longer alone on some strange quest. I was no longer staring
into the forbidden unknown. I was no longer looking to do
something new, something imtried, something weird or
strange. I was no longer a man with the cowardly perversion
of nonviolence. NO! To the contrary, I discovered I was part
of something much larger than myself. I was a link between
the past and the future. I was what connected pacifists before
me to today and beyond. I found myself to be a Conscientious
Objector, much like those men I worshipped with every
Sunday.

Ironically, not only were these men mentors to a new way
of being, they also carried me through those difficult, mun-
dane days of alternative service when I sometimes asked
myself, "What is the purpose of all this?" "Does this have an
influence?" "Am I doing what is best?" In continuing to
worship at Friends Meeting during my alternative service, I
was supported, fed, and encouraged to continue my peace
testimony.

I am thankful I had peace-loving men before me that were
willing to struggle with the sometimes mundane, sometimes
difficult, sometimes life-threatening task of alternative ser-
vice in the CPS camps. I am thankful I had a path to follow as
a Conscientious Objector to the American War in Vietnam. I
continue to be grateful to ALL the men and women who have
offered support to those Conscientious Objectors who still
suffer ridicule and injustice in their stand against the war in
the Middle East. ■

CPS Experiences

by Mildred Burck from Journal Entries written
by Clarence Burck, Corvallis Meeting

In September 1941, just as I was about ready to return to
Indiana for my Senior year, my draft board came through
with orders to report to Civilian Public Service (work of
national importance) at Glendora, California. They did not
feel that anyone who was a Conscientious Objector to war
should receive a deferment for study. I was in camp for four
years and three months, without remuneration.

Note: This camp was an American Friends Service Com-
mittee Camp. The Mennonite Central Committee also
had camps, and they encouraged Mennonites to transfer
to their camps. Finally, Clarence was the only Mennonite
who did not do so. He believed the work he was doing
was very important, so he stayed there. The MCC recom-
pensed the AFSC.

For the first four years I did research in soU physics under
the supervision of a professor from the University of Califor-
nia, and for three years I was in charge of the soils lab. This
area is the watershed for Los Angeles County. During the last
three months I was general purchasing agent for the camp,
making several trips each week to Los Angeles for produce
and personal items for about 200 COs.

For three years I was manager of our little co-op store
during off hours. This handled most necessities. It was dur-
ing this time that I took up barbering. One of the boys from a
branch camp, a professional barber, talked me into trying my
hand at barbering in the main camp. I cut somewhere be-
tween 1200 and 1500 heads of hair in three years. It came in
handy later — with a son and a Dad, a brother-in-law, and
nephews who came to our house at regular intervals for a cut
and a visit.

We had alternate weekends off, except at times of fire
danger. I had an old car, which I was able to keep going. I often
went to Glendale to visit my Kenagy cousins. At other times
I went to Whittier, stayed with friends, and went to the
activities of the Young Friends. I got acquainted with Mildred
there and sometimes worked in the orchards for her dad. She
was working in San Diego then, but soon was in Truesdail
Laboratories in Los Angeles. In August 1945 we were mar-
ried.

After my release from CPS in November 1945 we re-
mained in California, and I did carpentry work. I finished a
house for my father-in-law and completely built another. I
still wanted to finish college and received tuition free from
Goshen College because of my CPS service. The University of
California evaluated the research work I had done in camp at
24 credits and gave me a good recommendation. On ^at
basis I asked Goshen to allow me nine hours for this work.
This allowed me to finish my requirements in one semester. ■

PAGE 144 — JUNE 1992

FRIENDS BULLETIN

Witnessing Against the Death Penalty

by Arline Hobson, Pima Meeting

I was present throughout the reprieve hearing for Donald
Harding, who was killed in the gas chamber by the State of
Arizona onMonday, April 6, 1992. 1 spoke briefly toward the
end of the hearing as a representative of the American
Friends Service Committee.

1 went into the hearing situation with the naive belief
(and this in spite of my 74 years of age) that it would be a
serious and thoughtful consideration. 1 knew, of course, that
there can be variations in interpretation of the law, but 1 was
confident that the members of the Board of Pardons and
Paroles would weigh all testimony, would struggle together
in order to balance ethical, moral, humanitarian, and legal
issues. 1 thought that this would necessitate deep, thought-
ful discussion. I knew also that Americans are never trapped
into a simplistic eye-for-an-eye primitivism. 1 anticipated a
narrow vote, either for or against clemency, assuming the
Board members were independent free citizens and not
administrative flunkies.

How naive 1 was! How foolish I was to credit State
officials with struggle of conscience or ethics. Impassive
faces of all Board members should have told me tiiat the
outcome had been determined prior to the hearing. But,
even then, 1 had faith in them as citizens, telling myself
throughout the all-day hearing, with a very explicit, well-
documented review of the societal neglect and victimization
of fellow citizen Donald Harding, that their non-emotional
visages were masks hiding inner struggle and pain.

The defense was open and clear about the necessity to
protect society, asking for mercy and Ufe imprisonment
without parole for this unpredictable and dangerous man
whose behavior was beyond his own control.

Despite the Chairman's obvious impatience, a few citi-
zens spoke at this so-called public hearing, including me. I
put aside my carefully drafted statement and made a few
remarks, acknowledging that I shared with them what
surely must be a heart- wrenching decision weighing heavily
on each soul. I assumed they were anxious to allow time for
thoughtful discussion. Again, how stupid of me.

One Board member said he believed some persons
forfeited their right to live (a life conferred by the Creator)
and moved that the plea be rejected. The motion seconded,
the rest quickly muttered, "I agree." And that was that.

Without debate, without discussion, six Arizona citizens
agreed on a State killing.

I noted that it was all

Orderly, oh, so orderly.

Unhesitating and prompt.

No discussion.

No troubled souls.

Not one single word of humanitarianism.

And so far as I can judge, all legal —

Disgustingly legal.

At Arizona's primitive level.

My God, Tm disillusioned! Tm ashamed! I hurt with
shame!

Father, forgive us Arizona citizens for allowing such con-
duct of indifference by public officials.

Father, forgive the Board members (all political appoin-
tees), for they apparently do not know what evil they have
perpetuated by their indifference to the spiritual, moral, and
ethical implications of their public service. Masking the lack of
human compassion with legalities is unworthy of a civilized
people. ■

The Death Penalty

by the Arizona Area Committee, AFSC

We call it the "Death Penalty," "Capital Punishment,"
"State Executions," or "Penal Euthanasia," — abstract non-
emotive words that conceal that collectively we deliberately
kill other human beings. Whether by hanging, electrocution,
the application of poison gas, firing squad, or intravenously-
induced poison, when our government kills a human being in
our name, whatever the euphemism, the definition insulates
us from awareness that, in our name, another human being is
being put to death in cold blood.

Of all the major Western industrial democracies, the United
States is the only nation that has not abolished the death
penalty absolutely or restricted it to special war-time offenses.
This stance is one we share with the USSR (formerly) and
South Africa.

No caring citizen can fail to share the pain that victims'
families suffer. At a visceral level we comprehend the desire
for revenge. Still, survivors of the tragedy of murder stand
forth as examples of those who have separated their personal
anguish and loss from a higher calling.... They have l^n able
to separate their personal loss from the recognition that a
maturing society can no longer demand an eye for an eye.

It is unworthy of any citizen to equate human life, however
depraved, with money and to support executions to reduce the
drain on the public treasury. Interestingly, it is a common
misconception that it is less expensive to execute a prisoner
than it is to incarcerate him or her for Ufe. There are studies that
demonstrate that the cost of executing a prisoner is signifi-
cantly greater than the cost of Ufe imprisonment.

The general notion that Capital Punishment is a deterrent
to murder has also been disproved. There have been many
studies over many years with different approaches, method-
ologies, and data sets. AU have generaUy concluded that either
the death penalty does not deter or that deterrence cannot be
proven. A study of capitol punishment in New York from 1907
through 1963 indicates that there is a sUght increase in homi-
cides in the months after an execution is carried out. Research-
ers theorize that, instead of deterring crime, executions dem-
onstrate that society beUeves it is correct and appropriate to kiU
those who ereatly offend us.

Continued on p. 150.

FRIENDS BULLETIN

JUNE 1992 - PAGE 145

Should Friends Refuse All Oaths?

by Bob Vogel, Orange Grove Meeting

Query: Do we keep to a single standard of truth, so that we
are free from the use of judicial and other oaths? (Pacific YM
Faith & Practice, 1985, p. 24)

Quakers...receive much persecution for refusal to
take judicial oaths. Swearing is contrary to Christ's
teaching: "However, I say to you do not swear at
all.. .just let your word yes mean yes, and your no, no
(Matthew 5: 34-37)." Taking an oath sets up a double
standard of truth. Friends believe truth is to be
spoken at all times, whether one is in or outside the
courtroom. Whenever evidence against Friends was
either shaky or lacking, an oath would be tendered,
and the resulting refusal would certainly mean im-
prisonment.

"People swear to the end they may speak the truth;
Christ would have them speak the truth to the end
they might not swear." (William Penn) (Pacific YM
Faith & Practice, 1985, p. 10)

Since World War II, citizens in many states have been faced
with two oaths: (1) the oath of allegiance, and (2) the non-
disloyalty oath. From 195;2 to 1969 in California, citizens and
non-profit organizations were required by law to swear or
affirm that they were not members of any party that advo-
cated the overthrow of the government of the United States by
force, violence, or any other unlawful means. Churches and
Meetings in California were denied their tax-exempt status,
citizens their right to a passport, and public employees lost
their jobs unless they signed lx)th the oath of allegiance and the
non-disloyalty oath. In due course, the non-disloyalty oaths
were challenged successfully in the courts as unconstitutional
and are no longer a requirement. But the original oath of
allegiance was not challenged.

Today, signing an oath or affirmation to uphold the Con-
stitution and defend it against all enemies, foreign and domes-
tic, is a job requirement for most public employees in city,
state, county, and federal governments. Sign the oath or you
don't get the job. This is called a "test" oath with economic
sanctions. It has nothing to do with judicial oaths.

Many Friends are employed or seek employment in teach-
ing, social work, or other government jobs. All are faced with
the dilemma of either signing the oath or losing the job. Most
do not have resources to challenge the oath or affirmation in
the courts, so they sign. Some may append a note or simply
add "in so far as my conscience will allow." Sometimes
administrators overlook these interpretations; at other times
they do not.

Friends should know that there are two possible remedies.

(1) One can remind the government official of the US
Supreme Court case, Giromrd v United States, 1945, a natural-
ization case. The Court declared, "The statutory requirement
that an applicant for admission to citizenship take the oath to

support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United
States against all enemies does not operate to exclude from
citizenship one unwilling to take up arms in the country's
defense." In subsequent instructions to applicants for natu-
ralization is this provision: "If you cannot promise to bear
arms or perform noncombatant service because of religious
training and belief, you may omit those promises when
taking the oath." So, although the applicant may omit those
promises, she/he still must take the oath.

(2) The second remedy has proven even more effective.
Title 7 of the 1964 Civil Rights Act states in part that an
employer must make reasonable accommodations to an
employee's religious preference, unless the accommodations
requested present an undue hardship on the employer. Sec-
tion 708 of Title 7 states that when a state or local law cor\flicts
with the federal law, the federal law supersedes state law.
This applies to the California state law mandating the oath of
allegiance for all public employees. When one is faced with
such an oath that conflicts with one's conscience, one can
complain directly to the US Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission, stating that the oath or affirmation violates
one's religious beliefe. There is no cost to the individual filing
such a complaint, and generally the response is prompt from
the EEOC. 1

Oaths serve no purpose other than to enforce conformity.
As far as I am able to determine, no person who has signed or
taken an oath of allegiance has ever been found guilty of
perjury. Ultimately, oaths should be repealed by the legisla-
ture. Oaths discourage freedom of speech and association —
freedoms that are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights of the US
Constitution. ■

1 The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 3660 Wilshire
Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. (800) 872-3362.

Loyalty Oath Experience

by Betsy Eberhardt, Redwood Forest Meeting

Just as an eighteen-year-old is faced with the decision of
whether or not to register for the draft, when applying for a
teaching position, one is faced with whether one can consci-
entiously sign the Loyalty Oath in California... "to defend the
Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

When I applied for a teaching position with Santa Rosa
School District in Sonoma County, I could not sign the oath
which suggested that there were "enemies" against whom
one might need to battle. I reworded the Oath so that I could
sign it, and the Superintendent accepted it just as I wrote it.

I said that I would support and uphold tlie Constitution of
the United States and the Constitution of the State of Califor-
nia against all encroachment, rather than defend the Constitu-
tion against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I added the
following statements. "I do not believe a teacher should be
likened to a soldier. My faith does not include enemies, so I
could not defend as a soldier. I am a Quaker and one of our
Testimonies is Peace." ■

PAGE 146 — JUNE 1992

FRIENDS BULLETIN

Cuba: No Threat to the United States
by Jean Roberts and Anne Si Gennauv
Eastside Meeting

Our trip to Cuba under the auspices of Pax World Foun-
dation was a fascinating adventure. On a twelve-day trip we
couldn't expect to see "the whole picture" of the country's
conditions, as we knew our itinerary was carefully planned to
show us Cuba's "best" side. We did have some advantages
that made our picture a Little clearer. Of our group of twenty-
four, five spoke fluent Spanish, two or three spoke some
Spanish, and one was Cuban-bom. All of us had had some
experience traveling in Third World countries. Whom we saw
or where we went, outside of our planned meetings, was not
monitored, and, as far as we knew, no one with whom we
spoke was interrogated by any official.

We stayed at the Miguel Soto Methodist Church guest
house and were warmly welcomed by Joel Ajo, the Methodist
Bishop of Havana . On die last night we were in Cuba, a retired
Friends Pastor and the Presiding Clerk of Cuba Yearly Meet-
ing arrived at the guest house. The Clerk wrote a note of
greeting from Cuban Friends on our travel letter.

In Cuba,1034 churches represent 56 denominations. We
spoke with the acting president of the Cuban Ecumenical
Council, the rector of San Carlos Seminary founded in 1774,
and a Central Committee member for religious affairs that is
the liaison between the churches and the government. We
also visited with one of the Sisters of Mother Teresa and
several members of the Jewish congregation. We visited the
Bible distribution center and church-run nursing homes.

At the time of the revolution, churches participated in the
joy of liberation. There was no conflict between believer and
revolutionary. The problem came with the Soviet presence.
When Castro declared the Socialist State in 1961, there was a
strong confrontation. Church leaders feared restrictions and
discrimination against the churches; many left the country.
All Catholic schools were taken over by the State. Before the
revolution there were 15,000 Jewish people in Cuba. All but a
few hundred have left the country.

Believers could not be part of the Communist Party and
could not participate fully in the new society. Job applications
asked, "E)o you believe in God?" If so, the applicant was
automatically excluded from the better jobs. Enrollment in the
University was not open to believers. School children were
taught atheism and that Jesus Christ never existed. Children
of believers were pressured not to attend church.

In the 1970's a slight dialogue started between the churches
and the government. The believers began to be more active in
social reform. Liberation theology was introduced, but many
Cubans felt their revolution was doing for Cuba what that
theology was doing for other countries.

In 1985, for the first time, Fidel Castro met with the
Catholic bishops. The Churches participated in two confer-
ences on international debt. The book, "Fidel and Religion," a
dialogue between Fidel and Frei Betto was published. It was

estimated that every household in Cuba owned this book.
Obviously, the people were interested in religious affairs.

In the late 1980's, world changes severely affected the
Marxist-Leninist ideology. The government reacted badly
and hardened its attitude toward the church.

The Fourth Communist Party Congress met in 1990 and
began to change the Constitution to allow Christians to
become Party members. Future changes hoped for and still
being discussed are inclusion of religion in the equality
section of the constitution and the direct vote of the people for
national congress representatives. People now vote only for
local representatives, who, in turn, elect the nationals.

Because of the United States illegal (under international
law) blockade of Cuba, economic conditions are bad. Still,
there are no beggars (except for the children who want
"chicklets"), and we didn't see anyone as impoverished as
those seen on the streets of large U.S. cities. A person can drink
the water from the taps and walk down the street at night
without fear. If one is sick, one can take advantage of one of the
world's top medical systems. Cuba is the only country in the
world to have a decreasing number of AIDS cases.

There are few things to buy. Food, clothing, paper prod-
ucts, and books are either rationed or not available. The black
market flourishes, fed by goods brought in by visitors from
other countries. The blockade, intended to bring Castro "to
his knees," actually solidifies his position as he tightens
controls and as people unify against the threat of a U.S.
invasion.

Cuba is no threat to the United States. For more than thirty
years Castro has been unique in his ability to get away with
being "disobedient" to the U.S. government. His downfall has
become an obsession. In spite of logic, common sense, and
world-wide public opinion against the blockade. President
Bush extended its scope just in the last week.

The question of survival is the main Cuban agenda. Those
who know the Cuban people know that they are survivors,
able to meet the challenges of the new world order. We hope
that the people in this country will become informed and
strong enough to help the Cubans. ■

Day Care Center, Santiago de Cuba.
Picture by Jean Roberts.

FRIENDS BULLETIN

JUNE 1992 ~ PAGE 147

Religious Education

PYM Religious Education
Committee: Report

The May 1992 issue of Friends Bulletin
included the results of a questionnaire which
the PYM Religious Education Committee
had sent to Monthly Meetings, Prepara-
tive Meetings, and Worship Groups. The
report dealt with theorganizatbn and struc-
ture of First Day Schools, their goals, aims,
successes, and needs.

Conclusions and Recommendations:

The number and promptness of answers to the question-
naire and the tone of the answers conveys two things:
1) Friends are putting their hearts and souls into First Day
School (FDS) work, and many of them are in small isolated
places where it feels like lonesome work; and 2) they need
support, and they deserve it.

The question is how to give support, since some of their
problems are not likely to go away permanently. Offers of
support would have to be continuing in order to be meaning-
ful and useful.

Support could function at all levels. Some problems, such
as lack of adult volunteers, discontinuity of ideas, and irregu-
larity of attendance can be addressed within Meetings as the
Meetings become more aware of their FDS needs, become
clearer in direction and more courageous and willing in
participation.

Some problems could be alleviated through sharing of
experiences and ideas. The sharing could take place through
a column in Friends Bulletin, through visits and observations
of other Meetings, and through sharing sessions at Yearly
Meeting and Quarterly Meetings.

The PYM Religious Education Committee could continue
to encourage First Day Schools to share their needs and
successes on a regular (possibly annual) basis and serve as a
match-making service to facilitate networking. For example,
one Meeting expressed a need for a type of curriculum that
another Meeting happily uses. One small Worship Group
with children from just one family wants to start a FDS. We see
that other groups have handled that. Why not put them in
touch with one another?

Yearly and Quarterly Meetings could offer workshops,
inviting FDS teachers to share activities, strategies, and
approaches to retaining children's interest and promoting
self-esteem and positive discipline. Effective materials could
be shared and networking systems developed. ■

Editor's note: This report, edited by Friends Bulletin, was
prepared by Barbara Babin, Marilee Eusebio, Maria May, Gerry
Maynard, and Ingrid Peterson (Clerk).

Drawing by Gretchen McGarigle, Claremont Meeting.

On Hallowing One's Diminishments
by John Yungblut

Review by Rob Roy Woodmaiv Davis Meeting

Pendle Hill Pamphlet 292, July 1990, 27 pages, Pendle
Hill Publications, Wallingford, PA 19086.

Victor Frankl theorized that in order to survive, people
must ascribe meaning to their existence and to the things that
happen to them. In When Bad Things Happen to Good People,
Rabbi Harold S. Kushner dismisses the rationalizations for
why bad things happen, why God has forsaken us, and
reframes the problem as the kind of relationship we can have
with God as we suffer our diminishments. He phrases it thus,
" 'God, see what is happening to me. Can you help me?' We
will turn to God, not to be judged or forgiven, not to be
rewarded or punished, but to be strengthened and com-
forted."

John Yungblut, having coped for years with the diminish-
ments of Parkinson's disease and now facing his inability to
work and his own death, drew on the writings of Teilhard de
Chardin's Divine Milieu for imderstanding.

He refers to his diminishments as companions with which
he must make friends. He also calls them "little deaths." He
seeks to "make holy or set apart for holy use, consecrate, to
respect greatly, venerate" a variety of diminishments —
disappointments, accepting one's natural limitations, the loss
of loved ones, the dirninishments of aging, and "the great
diminishment, death."

Some diminishments are "deprivations from the begin-
ning," like a birth defect or a handicap. When accepted, these
diminishments can make a person more sensitive to others.
Great love and devotion are drawn out of a parent who
selflessly cares for a severely-handicapped child. Bereave-
ment can be channeled into creative work, such as Kushner's
book, which he wrote in response to his son's illness and
death. The diminishments of aging cause one to turn from
striving to achieve and provide to a deeper spiritual life and
more time for contemplation and nurturing of others. "Though
our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being
renewed every day (2 Cor. 4:16, RSV)."

The greatest diminishment is our own death. Yungblut
quotes Teilhard, "We must overcome death by finding God in
it." To die is to "die into God," or as Teilhard put it, "Grant that
I may willingly consent to this last phase of communion in the
course of which I shall possess You by diminishing in You."

For John Yungblut, strength and comfort from God comes
through the practice of contemplative prayer. "Contempla-
tive prayer is a way of knowing one's self under the aspect of
the eternal." With this knowing, meaning can be gained
without the traps of rationalization, and our relationship with
God is sustained. ■

PAGE 148 — JUNE 1992

FRIENDS BULLETIN

Arizona Women's Gathering

by La Donna Wallen, Tempe Meeting

What gifts of talent have you been given? On April 3-4,
1992, the women of Tempe Meeting were hostesses to the
Quaker Women of Arizona for a retreat weekend based on the
arts. They attempted to answer that question. Thirty women,
ranging in age from the twenties to the eighties, came from
around the state to participate.

Three articles were sent out as pre-reading material which
affirmed that all of us have many artistic talents, and our lives
are enriched by participation in them, or, if untapped, dimin-
ished by leaving their potential undiscovered. We came to-
gether on Friday evening and began with an exercise from the
book. Drawing on the Artist Within, by Betty Edwards. A series
of collages resulted from this initial effort. We then began
work with clay, while one person read portions from the
Pendle Hill Pamphlet #238, Sink Dozvn to the Seed, by Charlotte
Fardelmann. Charlotte describes how working with clay at
Pendle Hill was a special therapy for her and allowed her to
transform her spiritual insights into symbolic sculpture. The
final activity for the evening was the introduction and prepa-
ration for a corporate mural that was to be created and finished
on Saturday. We were led in this by a Tempe Meeting member
who is a professional artist and has helped community groups
plan and paint murals on buildings and walls in several cities
in the United States.

Saturday morning we greeted the new day in worship
together. After breakfast we discussed the difference between
creativity and talent and then, in small groups, discussed how
the arts have been incorporated into our lives and what
unnurtured artistic aspirations we have. Expressions in move-
ment and dance followed until the noon hour. In the afternoon
we learned how drama has played a part in the life of a
member of Phoenix Meeting. During poetry reading, which
included a poem expressing the fact that we each are many
selves, we constructed masks that depicted images of the
"other" selves in our lives. Throughout the day several people
worked on the mural, and by the time we said our good-byes
we had all helped to create a beautiful reminder of our time
together. We left relaxed, energized, and ready to allow our
latent abilities to bloom. ■

Photo by Roberta Stretcher, Pima Meeting.

College Park Quarterly Meeting News

by Patricia Silva, Fresno Meeting

Newsletters this spring express an awareness of a com-
mon need for Friends in our Quarter to retain a sense of
clearness in the midst of a strong tide of diverse, and often
intensely felt, concerns. Meetings reported on activities sur-
rounding California budget cuts, reinstatement of the Death
Penalty, relocation of Meetings, same-gender marriages,
UNCED, closeness within our Meetings, AFSC, and punctu-
ality in Meetings for Worship. Almost every category seemed
to overlap from one Meeting to another, and it struck me that
these are the kinds of times within which Friends often seem
to move with one body.

Jane Peers, Clerk of PYM, has been reported by the Friends
Committee on Legislation to have "spoken eloquently" in the
press conference following the historic meeting that took
place between Governor Wilson and religious leaders of
various denominations in Sacramento late in March. Budget
cuts and unemployment were two items on the agenda, and
all were reported to have felt encouraged by the opening of
dialogue between the Governor and the religious leaders,
with "the hope of establishing a moral basis for future State
budgets."

Vigils, rallies, and worship services took place in San
Francisco and San Quentin in opposition to the Death Penalty
and in support of commutation of the sentence of Robert
Alton Harris, who subsequently died in the gas chamber. San
Francisco Meeting states that there are "currently 300 prison-
ers on California's Death Row," and they join other Bay Area
Meetings in reminding Friends to contact the Governor,
reaffirming the position of Friends on this issue.

Grass Valley Meeting co-sponsored an evening with
two Guatemalan refugees who live in Mexico. Friends
heard about the intolerable repression in Guatemala. G VFM
has information on what actions will help. Visalia Meet-
ing invites Friends to use their new Meeting House for
meetings and events. It is centrally located and sits amid
one of the last two stands of Valley Oaks. Mendocino
Worship Group has a clipboard listing gardening chores at
their Meeting place, and Friends come, alone and together,
to work toward payment of rent "in kind." Humboldt
Meeting squeezes about eight cases of lemons, freezes the
juice, and sells lemonade at fairs to help with their rent. It
has proved to be a good way for this spread-out Meeting to
spend some time together. Redwood Forest Meeting has
set up a John Woolman School Scholarship Fund for teen-
agers in our Quarter, suggesting that other Meetings do the
same, in order to enable a broader base of students to
apply. Davis Meeting has been discussing the early Quaker
concept of a "retired" meeting as a time for pure silence
apart from the weekly Meeting for Worship.

Please put me on your mailing list, if you have not, and
"thank you" to those who have sent newsletters to me. ■

FRIENDS BULLETIN

Memorial Minutes

JUNE 1992 - PAGE 149

Lora Deere Lenoir

Surely Lora Lenoir lived a life in the Light. Her radiant smile
lit up every room she entered. Highly trained and disciplined
through her educational studies and legal background, she
focused her deep spiritual faith and concern on the poor and the
homeless, applying her organizational skills effectively through
many religious, political, and sodally-consdence groups, always
motivated by her Quaker, Qiristian Science, and Unity faith.

An active member of the Pima Monthly Meeting in Tucson,
Arizona, Lora was a founding member of the Interfaith Coalition
for the Homeless and served on the Committee that organized
Operation Deepfieeze, a program to locate, transport, and shelter
homeless people during cold winter nights in Tucson.

Lora served as Chairperson of ffie Christmas in September
program that helped disadvantaged children on Arizona Indian
reservations. She served on the T ucson Ecumenical Council, was
amember of Church Women United, President of the State Board
of the League of Women Voters, and a Board Member of the
Southern Arizona chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Bom in Fairland, Illinois, Lora earned her doctorate in inter-
national law in 1932 from Radcliffe College, after graduating
from the University of Illinois in 1927 with a degree in political
science. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Lambda
Delta, Phi Kappa Epsilon, Alpha Sigma Nu, Torch, and Nu.

Lora Lenoir died September 3, 1991; she is survived by three
sons, James Carter Lenoir and Robert Lenoir of Tucson, Arizona,
William J. Lenoir of Tampa, Florida; two daughters, Lora Jean
Rabura of Tucson, Arizona, and Katherine K. Knepper of Reno,
Nevada; two sisters, Harriet Deere Ashbrook of San Qemente,
California, and Mabel Deere Mawn of Alhambra, California; five
grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. ■

Dana L. Abell

Dana Abell became a member of Davis Meeting in 1979. He
was an active member — convening study groups, proposing a
series on prayer, participating in the business of the Monthly
Meeting,attendingNewYear'sgatherings,berry-pickingforays,
and snow outings in the Sierras.

Dana nurtured and shepherded the Meeting House remod-
eling planning through its many particular and potentially divi-
sive stages. The remodeled Meeting House stands in witness to
his work and to that of many others. His contributions were
practical, as when he climbed on the roof to shingle, and vision-
ary, as when he led the Meeting in turning the back lawn into a
low-water, native-plant landscape.

The Meeting knew Dana as a deeply spiritual man, a poet, a
lover of classical music, and a naturalist. He became our link with
the Yearly Meeting's Friends in Unity with Nature Committee
and was a member of the editorial board of the environmental
quarterly, Earthlight. As a naturalist he also taught weekend

stream ecology to people who fly-fish the mountain streams.

Dana was also a scientist with his B.A. and Ph. D. from
Berkeley. As a scientist he held teaching positions at Dartmouth
College, Concord College, Sacramento State University, and
Earlham College, where for two years he was a Visiting SAolar.

In recent years he worked as a writer and editor for the
Institute for Toxicology and Environmental Health, UC Davis, as
an envirorunental consultant, and as a research grants director.
He pioneered organizing large conferences for environmental
science professionals, and his last such conference concluded on
the day of his memorial meeting, allowing many of his colleagues
and friends to attend.

Dana died October 28, 1991; he is survived by his wife, Bonnie;
his two brothers, Leigh and Ken; sons, Larry and Einar; and two
grandchildren, Clara and David. ■

Girard Stephen Roscoe

Girard Roscoe was bom in 1942 in Philadelphia. He was a
twin; his sister Evette died in 1%7. His parents, Corbin and Alice
Roscoe, moved their family to Oregon in 1952, and Girard
graduated from Washington High School (Portland, OR) and
Portland State University.

Girard Roscoe and Linda Neubuhr were married under the
care of Multnomah Meeting in 1%7 and were later divorced.
Girard was present in the lives of his sons, Ashley and Ian, and in
the lives of his grand-daughters, Whitney and Tonya. Many
people in Multnomah Meeting knew Girard because they wit-
nessed the delight he and his grandchildren took in each others'
company when they came to Meeting for Worship on Sunday
mornings.

Professionally, Girard Roscoe was a teacher. An English
major in college, he taught at Rosemont School, a residential
school for delinquent gjrls. He began teaching there when it was
the Catholic-run Villa St. Rose and continued on the faculty
through September of 1991.

OthersknewGirardbecausehe was a fisherman — tying his
own flies and sharing his enjoyment of the sport with family and
friends. Or they knew him because of the stringed instruments
which dotted the walls of his apartment, or because of the poems
he wrote and only sometimes shared.

Personally, our Friend was at times troubled. A recovering
alcoholic, his ministry in Meeting for Worship was sometimes
upbeat and sometimes melancholy, but always carried the mes-
sage of the help and acceptance available to us from our living,
loving God. A quiet solitary person, he finally let many of us into
his life aswecared for him in these lastmonths. He wasaspiritual
Friend who was able to speak about the unspeakable wonder of
being directed in life by an outside force. He died November 6,
1991. ■

PAGE 150 — JUNE 1992

FRIENDS BULLETIN

Announcements

Witness at the Nevada Test Site

Join Diana Lee Hirschi and Heidi Neff, Friday, August 7 -
Thursday, Aug;ust 13, 1992, for a week of camping, reflection,
discussion, and Quaker Service in the Nevada desert to
explore effective ways to stop nuclear testing. This project, an
AFSC-IMYM Joint Service Project, is an adventure in commu-
nity living imder harsh conditions, challenging us to bear
witness and express our Quaker Peace Testimony. Cost: $200.
Participants are responsible for their own transportation to
and from Las Vegas. Registration deadline: Jime 25, 1992.
Space is limited to 10 participants.

For registration information, contact Cynthia Taylor (505)
344-7871.

For project information contact Diana Lee Hirschi (801)
486-2558. ■

The Celebrations Family

Celebrations, or Celebrations Unlimited, want Friends to
know that they are not the Nason Family of Oregon(also
known as The Celebration Family), who have recently had
children taken away from them. Celebrations, the Bradleys,
seem to be increasing in size as a family. To contact them, write
Spirit Donna Bradley, Celebrations Unlimited, PO Box 4485,
Areata, CA 95521. Message phone, (707) 839-5154. ■

IRS Acts Against Quaker Publisher

Friends Journal recently agreed to pay $31343 as a settle-
ment with the IRS for the war tax resistance by its editor and
manager, Vinton Deming. The sum includes $19,623 for five
years' taxes, plus interest. Deming refused to pay federal
income taxes out of conscientious objection to the use of them
for war purposes. ■

Quaker Center, Ben Lomond, California

June 12-14, 1992, "The Changing Face of God," with
Patricia Reilly.

July 3-9, 1992, "Art and the Spirit," with Jeanne Lohmann,
Ann Elizabeth Thiermann, Linda Brosio, and Keith Wedmore.
August 31 - September 7, 1992, The Annual Workcamp. ■

Access Exchange International

Tom and Sue Rickert, San Francisco Meeting, are involved
in Access Exchange International, whose goal is to enable
disabled persons in Third World countries access to public
transportation. Their workshops, exchanges, and educational
efforts include two projects: The International Transit Access
Project and the San Francisco-Moscow Social Services Project.
For information contact Access Exchange International, 112
San Pablo Ave, San Francisco, CA 94127. (415) 661-6355, Fax:
(415) 661-1543. ■

Yearly Meeting Transportation

Eugene Meeting is obtaining one or more vans to go to
North Pacific Yearly Meeting in Dillon, Montana. The cost for
round trip and two nights lodging (one night each way) will
be about $1(X). Contact John Etter, 85444 Teague Loop, Eu-
gene, OR 97405. (503) 343-3332. ■

Friends World Committee

Over 220 Friends from the Western Hemisphere gathered
in Columbus, Ohio, from March 19-22, 1992, for the Friends
World Committee for Consultation, Section of the Americas,
Annual Meeting. The theme for the meeting was "The Power
of the Lord is Over All:" Facing the Tough Issues Together. In
the keynote address, Jan Wood, Professor at Wilmington
College, challenged Friends to step into the Light and show
love to one another — a love that can become a tidal wave and
transform the inner being to change the world around us. ■

Quaker Youth Pilgrims

Fourteen Youth Pilgrims will represent FWCC, Section of
the Americas, this summer on the Pilgrimage to England and
Ireland. Three Pilgrims are from the West. They are Trina
McDaniel, Rogue Valley; Bridgett O'Connell, Redding; and
Christina Tappan, Orange Grove Meeting. ■

Death Penalty cont. from p. 144.

By the end of 1990 there were approximately 2400 men and
women awaiting execution throughout the United States.
More than 100 persons await execution in Arizona. A com-
parison of the number of men and women of different ethnic
groups as they relate to the general population shows dispro-
portionately high numbers of Blacks, Hispanics and Native
Americans awaiting execution. Even more compelling is the
discovery that those minority group members who are sen-
tenced to die most frequently are those who have killed white
people. This is particularly offensive when we discover that,
although almost one-half of all homicides nationally are of
black people, more than 90% of those individuals executed in
this country since 1977 have killed white people.

Let there be no mistake. Those who have killed other
human beings should be restrained and controlled. Death,
however, is so very final that there can be no amends for the
State's error after a penalty of death has been exacted.

Humanity's march to abolish "legal" killings sometimes
halts and slips backwards. Countries with strong democratic
values tend to abolish the death penalty, while autocracies
and totalitarian regimes tend to retain it. To the extent that the
movement of history is toward a world of human rights and
democratic values, the movement of history is also toward a
world without premeditated killing by the State. ■

FRIENDS BULLETIN

JUNE 1992 ~ PAGE 151

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Full text of "Friends Bulletin-Pacific, North Pacific, and Intermountain Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends-June 1992"

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